The Dodo Archive

Proud Mother Otter Shows Off Her New Little Bundle Of Joy

You might want to sit down - this level of cute could make you weak in the knees.

Wild sea otters are regular visitors to the waters around the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, but on Sunday officials announced the sighting of an adorable new arrival. There, in an open-access pool adjacent to the facility, a newborn otter pup was seen cozying up with her adoring mom, who was apparently more than happy to show off the little bundle of joy to the world.

The pup's birth was unexpected, though mom had caught a fair share of attention in the days leading up to it.

"For the last several days, a wild female sea otter had been using the protected basin of our Great Tide Pool to rest from the winter storms. Last night, just as the Aquarium closed, she was spotted once again slinking into the pool for some shut-eye. It's rare for a healthy sea otter to visit the pool so frequently - we started to wonder if she was doing all right," the Monterey Bay Aquarium wrote online.

"Well, mystery solved! Around 8:30 a.m., Aquarium staff witnessed a BRAND NEW pup resting on her belly, being furiously groomed by a proud momma."

Sea otters were once driven to near extinction in California because of fur trapping, which reduced their numbers to around only 50 individuals by 1938. Thanks to conservation measures, their population has rebounded to just over 2,000 - with each new birth being a cause of celebration (and plenty of gushing).